Appiani. Il Neoclassicismo a Milano

This is the catalogue of the exhibition of the same name being held at Palazzo Reale in Milan from 23 September 2025 to 11 January 2026. The Lombard capital is paying homage to Andrea Appiani (Milan, 1754-1817), a central figure of Italian Neoclassicism and the absolute protagonist of painting between the Enlightenment and the Empire.

Curated by Fernando Mazzocca, Francesco Leone and Domenico Piraina, the exhibition reconstructs Appiani’s artistic career with over 100 works from Italian and international collections, restoring the image of the cultural vitality of neoclassical Milan. The exhibition and the catalogue offer a complete and profound insight into the artistic output and intellectual identity of the ‘first painter’ of the Napoleonic Kingdom of Italy, awarded honorary medals such as the Légion d’Honneur, and praised as the “painter of the Graces”, a key figure in Milanese and Italian neoclassicism. His refined, harmonious art brought him religious, aristocratic and political commissions. Famous above all in the Napoleonic period, his production ranges from monumental frescoes to portraits and medals, with a unique style, recognised for its harmony, grace and formal rigour.

The catalogue includes numerous introductory essays and studies in depth, as well as scholarly entries on all the works on display.